


Tussle

by IlloustriousTaco



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Cute, Fluff and Angst, Suicidal Thoughts, not in that order
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-23
Updated: 2016-04-23
Packaged: 2018-06-04 01:47:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6636043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IlloustriousTaco/pseuds/IlloustriousTaco
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Skelebros got into a fight. Then this happened.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tussle

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Shizukana2203](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shizukana2203/gifts).



Neither of them could remember why they were fighting any more, it didn't seem to matter. Harsh words had been said and large tracts of the forest had been left in disarray, though it would take more magic than either of the skelebros were willing to put out to take down any of the trees. After all, while they weren't aiming for each other, accidents did happen, and Sans wasn't willing to risk hurting his precious brother.

Apparently Papyrus wasn't willing to actually attack Sans either, because all of his attacks had gone far wide of the mark, more area effects that were harder to control when he lost his temper so badly.

He couldn't even remember what they had been shouting, before he had turned and ran, taking a shortcut between one step and the next to go to the Door in the woods. Papyrus might eventually find him here, but his bro didn't usually venture this far down the path into the woods.

Paps was probably going to head to Waterfall to bitch about him to Undyne or something, but Sans couldn't find it in him to care right now.

He threw himself against the door, sliding down and wrapping his arms around his head, tears leaking out of his eyes as he shook. He was cold, and he didn't like it. The weather of Snowdin had never bothered him, so the cold was something else. Probably the aftermath of using so much magic to express himself, there was a reason he was lazy after all.

He laughed a bit, and it came out sounding like a sob as he curled into himself completely, lying on his side in the dirt path that led to the door.

There was snow falling, the weather probably agitated by the massive discharge of magic in the area, and Sans couldn't bring himself to care enough to move. Papyrus was mad at him, and it no longer mattered that he had been just as mad at his bro, it hurt, deep in his soul.

It was understandable, some of the things he had yelled, but Papyrus was going to hate him forever now, and had screamed as much before Sans stormed away. All the anger was gone, Sans never could find it in him to hold a grudge or stay upset about anything, mostly because it was too much effort, and Sans was just cold and empty inside.

It was a physical pain, and one that couldn't be healed so easily as mere battle wounds, though Sans wouldn't heal from those either. He didn't have enough health to take even one hit and survive long enough to heal. The macabre thought that maybe that would be for the best popped up, and Sans didn't have the mental strength to push it back into the dark little corner of his mind where it normally lingered.

Papyrus was an adult, all grown up now without needing Sans to be following his every step to make sure he would be alright. He really didn't need Sans anymore, and maybe it was time to just give up, let his brother go on without him.

The pain in his chest intensified and Sans let out a sharp, long keen, trying to let the noise take some of the pain away, but there was too much. No one would care if he fell down right now, and never moved again until he turned to Dust, not Papyrus, or the sentries, or even Alphys. Even the Voice behind the door probably wouldn't even care at this point and although they might be disappointed that he stopped visiting, they would get over it.

Everyone would. It would be for the best if he just gave up now...

The snow had become a storm, the winds picking up to the point that they tore at his clothes and blew snow into his face even where he curled on his side. It was slowly gathering around him, piling up atop of him, and in the distance he thought he heard Papyrus, but that would be impossible.

His brother hated him now.

* * *

“SANS!! SANS WHERE ARE YOU?” Papyrus had to fight to hear his own voice over the sound of the howling wind, but he couldn't keep from calling as he searched for his brother. He couldn't believe some of the things he had yelled at Sans, in his anger earlier. Even before Sans had turned and teleported away, Papyrus couldn't remember what had kicked off the fight but he had still been so angry.

The rage had been like fire in his very bones, and it hurt now to think about it. He had said some very unkind things, bordering on hateful.

That had been hours ago, and when a quick search though that part of the woods hadn't been enough to find Sans, Papyrus had gone home, to sit and brood about what he had said. It was only after he had calmed down and started worrying because Sans wasn't back yet that he had gone out to check around town to see if anyone had seen his brother. They hadn't, and Papyrus might have panicked then, heading out into the snow to look for his sibling.

He hadn't found him, and he had checked every sentry station along the path out into the woods. It had been easy to enlist the help of the other sentries in looking for Sans, they all liked him, and even as the storm got worse, there were monsters out in groups of four or more looking for Sans. Since Doggo had a hard time seeing anything that wasn't moving and Sans had long ago learned the best ways of getting past him, the oldest of the canines had volunteered to take a message to Waterfall to see if maybe Sans had gone that way instead. It wasn't likely, and Sans was more fond of Snowdin than any of the other areas of the Underground, but the effort had to be made.

“SANS YOU COME OUT THIS INSTANT!” There was a gut clenching terror that Sans had gotten hurt somehow either during their fight, or after when he teleported to get away from Papyrus. Honestly, if Sans never wanted to see him again, Papyrus would get out of his way, pack up and go stay with Undyne perhaps, but first he needed with everything in him to know that Sans was safe. “PLEASE SANS!”

Papyrus was further along the path than he had ever gone before, past the last sentry station and even over the laughable bridge that Sans had built over the ravine that marked the outside of the area the Sentries were supposed to patrol. Only a little further out, the wall of the Cavern the entirety of the Underground rested in stretched up, towering even above the huge trees that the far reaches of Snowdin were known for. Papyrus hadn't been this way before, but even the raging storm couldn't hide the well worn path ahead of him.

Gritting his teeth, Papyrus plowed on, desperate to find his brother at any cost. He squinted at the indistinct shapes looming out of the storm ahead of him, and very nearly ran face first into the odd door in the cavern wall. He hadn't even known this was here, and in his mind there was the thought that Sans would love it. He was always practicing his knock knock jokes, and with a door so many more of them would actually make sense, presumably.

Papyrus sighed, looking at the tall lump of snow in front of the door, before frowning, and all but falling to his knees, pushing snow aside in a fenzy.

“SANS! OH MY GOD, SANS ARE YOU ALRIGHT? TALK TO ME!” Papyrus' voice got shrill as he checked his brother, dusting him off and then wrapping his red scarf around Sans to try to preserve some warmth as he turned and headed back to Snowdin as fast as he could.

* * *

Sans coughed as something hot was placed over his head, and he found himself shaking as he opened his eyes, staring vaguely upwards.

“Shh... don't try to move or talk,” the voice was vaguely familiar, and Sans tried to roll his eyes to see who was talking only for a severe pain to explode in his head, and he shuddered, trying to lift his arms up to block out the light that was now filtering into his closed eyes. He could barely move his arms though, and after the first frantic burst of trying to they fell limp again under the heavy weight pinning him down. “Sans... Brother please.”

There was a tone of panic in that voice that frightened him, and Sans groaned, trying to figure out what was going on.

“Shush... please drink this. It's medicine the doctor said would help with the side effects of magical exhaustion,” the voice said, and a gentle if shaking hand helped to tilt his head up and Sans felt something warm and sweet being poured into him. Despite feeling so helpless, he was warm and safe, and after a moment he was unconscious again.

* * *

Papyrus sat by his brother, stroking bare fingers along Sans' skull as the smaller skeleton passed out, and it was all he could do not to start crying in relief. For three days, Sans hadn't responded to anything he or the town doctor had done, and finally the doctor had said that if he woke up to give him the medicine. Magical exhaustion was a serious thing, and the number one cause of Falling Down, which came before turning to Dust.

Sans' magic had been drained so low that the doctor hadn't even been able to detect it when Papyrus bought Sans in. Now that he had woken up though, he was going to be fine. Papyrus had to cling to that thought, because the hope that Sans would wake up had been the only thing keeping him going since he had found his brother by that door.

He had been pouring his own rudimentary healing magic into his brother since the doctor had left, and he knew he was close to the point of exhaustion himself, but he had to stay awake to keep an eye on Sans... he had to let his brother know how much he regretted fighting with him in the woods.

* * *

Doctor Hermanda shook her head, looking out at the wreckage that even the snow storm hadn't been able to cover up. Three feet of snow covered everything, and it was still as plain as day that there were long gouges taken out of the ground, and deep holes in the trees were obvious everywhere around the small clearing. Some of the holes still had bones in them.

One of the village children had dragged her out here when he found this place playing explorers in the woods, and Hermanda was actually glad he had. It was terrifying how much magic had to have been used to tear this place up that badly, and when some of the snow melted, she had no doubt that there would be more evidence of what had happened.

The shouting had been plainly audible in town when the skeleton brothers started fighting, though exact words had been hard to make out. Hermanda had gotten enough to get the gist though. Just brothers, butting up against each other, which was fine when it was just shouting. This outpouring of magic though, enough to disrupt the weather of the Underground even after being used to tear up the forest this way...

Shaking her head, Hermanda turned back towards town. She needed to make a few calls and maybe write some letters. The captain of the guard, Gerson, would hopefully be able to train the boys for a while so they had better control, and hopefully would be too tired to get into any more fights.

**Author's Note:**

> This was a prompt and a gift. Enjoy~


End file.
